This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Surrounded, Sri Lankan rebels renew call for truce

By C. Bryson HullREUTERS NEWS AGENCY

Sat., April 18, 2009

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers rebels yesterday called again for a truce as they face near-certain defeat, while a senior United Nations official met with the government to discuss the fate of civilians held by the separatists.

There are increasing calls from the world body and a host of nations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to free the tens of thousands of civilians trapped with them in a tiny area of the island, and for the military to hold fire.

Both sides deny accusations that they are threatening the safety of between 50,000 and 140,000 civilians stuck in a 17-square-kilometre strip of coastline, where the military has surrounded the rebels with the aim of ending a 25-year war.

Vijay Nambiar, chief of staff for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, met with government officials in Colombo, a UN spokesperson said, but he declined to give details of the talks.

In New York, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said: "We do feel that in (Nambiar's) discussions with government officials there's been a little bit of movement forward in terms of trying to have more of an effort to obtain the release of the civilians who are currently trapped in the conflict zone.

"But those efforts will need to continue."

Haq added that Nambiar had met yesterday with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

S. Pathmanathan, the Tigers' new diplomatic point man, said in a statement that the separatist rebels were ready for a truce and political talks.

"We are troubled that no effective measures are being taken to bring about a ceasefire and to end the human catastrophe," a pro-Tamil website quoted him as saying.

More from The Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com